Steering wheel



'C. W. JOHNSON.

STEERING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED Aus.29.192|.v

fl &1 0665., Patented Oct. 11),]1922.

" but x R w, aonnsonjor onew'a'r, ivrronrenn nssienon or oiun nnnr 'ro KARL HODGE, or rouennnnrsrn, new roan. i

. STEERING WHEEL.-

a ucauonmea as 29, 1921. Serial and. 496,417.

To all whom it may concern. i Be itknown thatl, CAR JonNsoN, a

citizenoi the United States, residing at Onaway, in the county of Presque Isle and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Steering Wheels, of

which the following is a full, clear, and

exact description. b This inyention relates to steering Wheels of the type employing a circular rim, and a spider, the arms of which are disposed radially of the rimand terminate at their inner ends inmeans for lionnection with the hub of the Wheel. Steering wheels of this type are Well known and are mainlyemployed on motor vehicles, such as automobiles, motor trucks and the like.

'lhepresent invention is particularly concerned witha simple and strong construction for joining the hub of the Wheel with the inner ends of the arms constituting the spider. This means consists of avplurallty oi radially extending flanges preferably formed integral with thehub, and which are so constructed as to partially embrace ex tended portions of the innerlends of the spider arms. In order to complete the joint between such inner ends of the spider arms and the flanges which extend from the hub, bands of metal are arranged to slide over the joint between these parts, and bolts passing through such bands and the overlapping adjoining portions 01 the spider arms and flanges.

Other features o'l the invention than those herein re'lerred to such as important co1nbinations of parts and details of construction, will. be more :tully described in the following description of a preferred form of the invention, and the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

liigure 1 represents a plan view of a wheel embodyingthe invention;

Figure 2 isan enlarged sectional detail View on the line 2-2, Fig. 1, and

l igure 3 is a transverse section on the iine 3Ei3 of Figure 2.

The wheel comprises the usual rim 1, preferably constructed of wood, and the spider 2 which is composed of the radially disposed arms 8, and the central hub 5, which to the ri n' provided with the usual groove or .lreyway .6, tor nonrotatlve engagement with thelcey formed upon the steering post.

in accordance with the spider Wood, have the present invention arms 8, which are preferably of their outer ends secured suitably 1, and their inner ends are provided with reduced portions 7 formed by removinga portion of the materialof the arm upon three of its sides, producing a shoulder t. The hub 5 is provided with a suitable number of radially disposed flanges 10, having, depending portions 12 upon opposite sides" which are constructed to embrace and rece ve the reduced portion 7 of the spider arm, the ends of the flanges 10 abutting aga nst the shoulders 8 of the arm so as to result in a smooth joint where the flanges are .7 connected with the arm. Each arm is surrounded by a metallicband 14; which, when the end oi": the arm is seated in the recess formed by the flange 10 and its depending side walls 12, is slipped inwardly over the end of the spider arm and the flange 10, the baud being of such size as to tightly embrace the end ofthe arm and the flange so as to rigidly connect these parts together. The band 14 is provided with alined holes 16 and lTto receive a bolt 20 having a rounded head :Z-l which seats upon the upper surtace ot the band, while the lower surface of the band is recessed to receive a nut 23 which threaded to the end oi. the bolt. A hole is drilled through the flange l0 andv end 7 of the spoke to permit the passage of the bolt .20 and when the nut is applied to the threaded end oi. the bolt and said. bolt and nut turned relatively to each other to clamp the band tightly imposition upon the flange and end of the arm, the band will remain in place, and may not be dislodged from its position where it clamps and firmly maintains the end of the arm and flange in connection with each other.

The inner end o1 each of the arms 3 is joined in the same manner as above described with the corresponding flange of the hub 5,

l and when the parts are so joined the result v the bolts 20 from the nuts 23, and slip the bands outwardly, and the hub may be removed from the spider arms.

Having describedthe invention What is claimed is:

1. A steering wheel comprising, in combination, a rim, spider arms having their outer ends connected to the rim, a hub having radially disposed flanges provided with depending portions and arranged to engage the inner ends of the spider arms, and clamping bands constructed to surround said parts for holding the spider arms to the hub.

suitable arms connected thereto and having reducedinner endportions, in combination witha hub provided with radially extending flanges having downwardly disposed por- "tions to surround the inner ends of said arms, and' bands for clamping engagement with saidfian-gesan'd arms-for securing said parts together;

A steering wheel comprising a rim, spider-arms connected with the rim and having reduced inner ends, a hub provided with radially disposed flanges having depending-portions and arranged to engage the inner-ends of said arms, clamping bands N52. A. steering wheel comprisinga rim,

movable upon said arms and arranged to be slid downwardly so as to embrace said flanges and the ends of said arms, and bolts passing through said bands, flanges, and arms, for securing said parts together.

A steering wheel having in combination a rim, spider arms connected to said rim and having their inner ends reduced forming a shoulder at the termination of said reduced portion, a hub provided with radially dis posed flanges having laterally depending portions and adapted to embrace the reduced ends of said arms and to engage shoulders thereon, and bands adapted to be moved outwardly upon the arms so as to embrace said flanges and the inner ends of the arms, apertures extending through said bands,llanges and arm ends, and bolts in said apertures provided with nuts which clamp thebolts in positionand secure the bands upon said flanges and arms.

In testimony wheieof I have hereunto set myhand this 19th day of August, A. l). 1921.

CARL \V. J'OTTNHUN.

WVitnesses:

Lnwis E. VAGGUNER, ANNA A. CAMPBELL. 

